Former WWE writer calls Tony Khan out for his recent comments (Exclusive)

Tony Khan and AEW are preparing for one of their major pay-per-views with WrestleDream now in the history books. The October 18th event was the third-ever edition of the PPV held by All Elite Wrestling in honor of wrestling legend and NJPW founder, Antonio Inoki.

Former WWE writer Vince Russo recently called out Tony Khan after his comments didn't sit right with Russo. Tony Khan strives to bring more and more eyeballs to his product and repeatedly talks about maintaining family-friendly ticket prices.

Talking on an episode of Writing with Russo on Sportskeeda WrestleBinge, Russo said that Khan can't book spots like the ones he does and still say that he is keeping family-friendly ticket prices. He said the fans would bury Khan for such a statement, as some of the extreme spots that wrestlers do in AEW aren't suitable for families, even if the prices are.

"You can't have Moxley matches with cheese graters, ripping ears, and drowning people in a fish tank. The spikes in the head, the Darby Allin spot in the last Sting match. Bro, you can't have this type of programming and then have Tony Khan go out and say, Oh, we're trying to keep our ticket prices family-friendly. That right there, Tony, they're going to bury you," Russo said.

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AEW is now gearing up for its next PPV with Full Gear on the horizon. The event will see Mercedes Mone challenge AEW Women's World Champion, Kris Statlander, for her title in an effort to add another belt to her collection.

Both the AEW World Championship and the World Tag Team Championships will be defended at the event as well, with the challengers set to be determined on this Friday's special edition of Rampage.

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About the author

Faiz is a WWE writer at Sportskeeda Wrestling. He is a BBA graduate who is passionate about sports and wants to make a career in that field. This passion led to a postgraduate degree in Journalism, which helped him pivot into becoming a sports writer. When writing, he puts the utmost importance on accuracy and thorough research.

Faiz has six years of work experience across four companies. He started his career with Zomato and then moved to Amazon. He shifted to becoming a football writer at TV9 Digital and is now with Sportskeeda. He covered the Wrestling Xtreme Mania event in Gurgaon in 2025, where he had the opportunity to interview Raj The Maharaja, fka Jinder Mahal. At the same event, he also got quick interviews with former WWE Superstar Dijak and Japanese Joshi legend Emi Sakura.

When it comes to his favourite wrestlers, Faiz has two names in mind. He loved to watch Triple H before the current WWE CCO retired, and he is a huge fan of Roman Reigns. Being a loyal fan since the Tribal Chief's SHIELD days, Faiz credits Roman's mic skills and unmatched in-ring storytelling for his mega success. When he was young, one in-ring story left a lasting impression on his mind and eventually got him hooked on WWE. That match was Shawn Michaels vs. Ric Flair at WrestleMania 24. Apart from that, he is also a fan of RAW.

When Faiz is not writing for Sportskeeda, he loves to keep up with other sports. He is an avid cricket and football fan, a huge gamer, and loves playing some RPGs on the PlayStation.

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Edited by Faiz Ahmed